Recomendações para ampliação da usabilidade e do comportamento ergonômico das academias públicas para usuários idosos

Abstract

The elderly population in the world is increasing because, with the advancement of medicine and improvements in the quality of life, new ways of minimizing and treating some diseases have been developed, contributing to the increase in longevity. To achieve the goal of improving the quality of life, physical activity becomes essential for the maintenance and preservation of the functional capacity of the elderly, as it can maintain their independence by facilitating their daily tasks. The National Health Promotion Policy prioritized the expansion of opportunities to practice physical activity through the Healthy Brazil Program. However, these equipments, as well as the pole in which they are installed, must serve different audiences. This study applied a diagnosis of usability in equipment through experiments with elderly individuals, in order to produce recommendations that help in the development of new products, in order to improve usability, thus, guaranteeing to the elderly a better ergonomic use of public gyms with autonomy. , safety, satisfaction, comfort and interactivity of use. The test results showed that the main aspects to be improved are related to the non-correspondence of the equipment with the usability aspects and universal design principles. Based on these results, a Guide for Expanding the Usability of Outdoor Gyms for the Elderly was prepared, a product that was built in line with usage requirements, matching users' expectations and current technical standards, thus promoting the promotion of what is expected from this policy.